"Songs for the Children" Concert on February 24 in Orillia
ORILLIA, ON, Feb. 13, 2019 /CNW/ -
Who: |
CultureLink Nai Children's Choir (Nai) and Orillia Vocal Ensemble (OVE) with guest singers from the Orillia Music Centre |
What: |
The local choirs in Orillia partner with a refugee children's choir in Toronto to present a benefit concert for the Orillia YMCA |
Where: |
St. Paul's Centre Great Hall located at 62 Peter Street North in Orillia. |
When: |
Sunday, February 24 2019 at 3:00 p.m. |
OVE, Orillia's "Pay it Forward Choir" choir founded by Roy Menagh, has a special relationship with Nai, a choir for refugee children based in Toronto and founded by Fei Tang, a staff of the local charity CultureLink. The relationship dates back to the time when the whole nation was mobilized to welcome some 40,000 refugees from Syria.
In September 2016, YMCA Geneva Park in Orillia generously provided this newly formed choir with free room and board for a weekend. The retreat also offered an important opportunity to preparing Nai for its upcoming performances – with the free vocal workshops provided by Menagh and other members of OVE – who were already involved in welcoming and sponsoring Syrian families into their community.
YMCA Geneva Park has subsidised Nai Choir's overnight retreats three years in a row. As Nai has grown and become more stabilized over the years, an important goal for the organization is to give back to those who have paid it forward.
"We are excited about providing other children in need with the kinds of opportunities that Nai children benefitted from when they first came to Canada," says Tang, "Having been deprived of childhood fun and opportunities in the Syrian war, our choristers and their families know the significant impact a peaceful and caring community can have on a child. We could not be happier to give back to such a community by co-presenting this concert with our old friends."
"The concert focuses on children's dreams, hopes and prayers for the future in Canada. We hope you leave this concert with a renewed belief in the power of youth to change the world," adds Menagh.
The concert is free and open to the public. A voluntary offering will be collected to support the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Skid Watson Fund providing families in need with memberships at the Orillia YMCA.
SOURCE CultureLink Nai Children's Choir
Media Contacts: Fei Tang (416) 347-2878, [email protected]; Roy Menagh, [email protected]
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